


All Roads Lead to World's

by orphan_account



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Stupid Boys being Stupid, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-05 17:16:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10313186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Yuri was 19 when he realized what he felt for his best friend, Otabek Altin, wasn’t exactly just friendly. He’d been minding his own business, getting ready to Skype Otabek like he did every week when horrible nausea overwhelmed his stomach. Except it wasn’t nausea. It was something much worse.A.K.A Yuri P's got it bad.





	1. Yuri

Yuri was 19 when he realized what he felt for his best friend, Otabek Altin, wasn’t exactly just friendly. He’d been minding his own business, getting ready to Skype Otabek like he did every week when horrible nausea overwhelmed his stomach. Except it wasn’t nausea. It was the feeling he got when he’d gone to Disney Tokyo and rode all the roller-coasters.  But this was different. His stomach was _giddy,_ his face, hot to the touch.

_Oh, fuck am I blushing?_

Otabek was his best friend. He definitely didn’t want to be Yuri’s boyfriend. The more he thought about it, the tighter his chest felt. Otabek knew everything about him. He couldn’t Skype with him now. It would take him only one glance in Yuri’s direction and he would know something was up. And Yuri had absolutely no faith in his ability to lie convincingly to Otabek. He grabbed his phone and sent Otabek a hurried text.

**Cant skype tonight. Talk later.**

* * *

 

It took less than a minute for his phone to light up with a reply. He didn’t bother to read it. Instead he curled up into bed and shoved his face into his pillow. This wasn’t fair. His first friend, his best friend, and he had a crush on him? Like could the universe be any more cruel?

Otabek texted him a few more times that night. It took Yuri a solid night of screaming into his pillow before he’d finally been able to even pick up his phone in the morning.

**Okay do you want to try tomorrow?**

And then 10 minutes later.

**I’m free during your lunch break.**

10 more.

**Or before bed like usual.**

15.

**Yuri?**

5

**Is everything okay?**

An hour.

**Yuri?**

Otabek wouldn’t be awake for a few more hours but if he woke up to no good morning message from Yuri, the onslaught of messages would only continue. Yuri’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. If this horrendous situation wasn’t fair to Yuri, then it definitely wasn’t fair to Otabek. Yuri’s stomach clenched. He shot off a quick message hoping that would soothe some of the worry he’d undoubtedly caused Otabek last night.

**All fine. Feeling a little sick. Sorry.**

_That should do for a couple of days_ **.**

Yuri’s planned work for all of three hours until Otabek work up. Otabek always was a worrier. Even from a couple thousand miles away. By the time he left the rink that evening, he had at least 8 more messages waiting for him. Otabek cared so much. Otabek cared too much. Or rather Yuri cared too much?

_Fuck, this sucks._

**Skype now?**

It took Otabek about 15 seconds to reply.

**If you’re feeling up to it.**

**I’m fine.**

Yuri hit the call button on his laptop and waited for the familiar scene of Otabek sitting in his living room to appear on the screen. Otabek answered by the second ring.

“Hey,”

“Hey,”

Yuri kept his hood up and artfully arranged his hair to fall over as much of his face as possible. If he was going to talk to Otabek, there was no way he was going to give him the opportunity to read what was surely written across his face.

“Feeling better?” Otabek asked hesitantly.

Otabek was staring at him intently. His brow furrowed slightly, waiting for Yuri to reply.

_Shit. Was I staring into space?_

“Yeah, just allergies I think. Sorry, I didn’t text earlier.”

“It’s okay.”

They passed the rest of the call with small talk. Yuri carefully avoided anything more in depth than the weather. Otabek seemed a little surprised when Yuri ended the call after only twenty minutes.

“Okay, Yura, get some rest.”

* * *

 

That first conversation was difficult. But over the next few weeks Yuri mastered the art of talking with Otabek and hiding his obnoxious crush. He nearly thought he had gotten over it by how well it was going. Yuri was so wrong and that became annoyingly obvious when he opened his apartment door one day during the off season to find Otabek standing there, motorcycle helmet in hand, looking like it was perfectly normal for him to show up at Yuri’s during the middle of the season.

“O.. Otabek, what.. what are you doing here?”

_Am I stammering? Who the fuck am I?_

“Are you going to let me in?” Otabek asked smirking. It was only then that Yuri realized he was blocking the entire doorway with his body. Yuri stepped back, letting Otabek in.

Otabek had come for the weekend. It was all the time he could spare in the middle of the season. They sat around Yuri’s tiny kitchen table, Yuri trying very hard to look anywhere but at Otabek’s face.

“Why are you here?” Yuri asked. He probably sounded like a dick. He should just be happy that he’s here. He is happy he’s here.

Otabek reached for Yuri’s hand across the table. “I don’t know. You’ve just seemed off lately, I thought maybe you could use a friend.” Yuri’s hand burned where Otabek had touched him.

After that visit, every message Otabek sent Yuri had Yuri’s stomach fluttering like he was a goddamn 13-year-old kid with their first crush. Every kind word had him staring lovingly into the fluorescent screen of his phone.

_Fuck._

Yuri didn’t just have a crush. Yuri had it bad. Goodnight texts and friendly hugs weren’t enough anymore. And it hurt. Every time Otabek so much as smiled at him, it _hurt._ If not being with Otabek hurt him now, it was only going to get worse.

Each message stung a little more than the last and by the time he went to bed one night nearly a week after Otabek had gone back to Almaty, Yuri knew what he had to do. He sent Otabek one more goodnight text. His chest tightened as he hit send knowing it was the last time he would be sending anything to Otabek. It was selfish, he knew that much. But this hurt, and fuck if he was going to let it affect his skating. This was better. This was easier. At least, that’s what he told himself.

Yuri knew he was being selfish the longer it went on. He ignored every text message, every phone call, skype request, and snapchat. Each time his phone lit up with Otabek’s name it stung a little more. More than once his fingers hovered over the keyboard to type out a reply. To apologize and beg Otabek to forgive him for being a selfish dick. But, in the end, he couldn’t. It wouldn’t be any fairer to reply to Otabek. The only way to reply to Otabek was to tell him why he Yuri was avoiding him like the plague and then that would be the definitive end to their friendship. At least this way it was on Yuri’s terms, even if it was selfish.

* * *

 

Otabek’s texts wavered between concerned, annoyed, and angry but still Otabek he diligently texted Yuri for a month before slowly the phone calls and skype requests petered off. Yuri wasn’t sure what hurt more, the constant messages that he couldn’t reply to or his phone keeping silent. At the Grand Prix Final that year, Yuri did his best to avoid the Kazakh but still ended up running into him anyway. Otabek walked right past him without a second glance. His stomach clenched and, as soon as Otabek turned a corner, Yuri took off running. If he had thought he was over Otabek before, he knew he was wrong now. He wasn’t sure where he was going, all he knew was that he had to get out of there and it had to be fast. He didn’t make it far. In the lobby, Yuri found himself slamming right into something. He stumbled backwards ready to take off running again when a hand grabbed him by the wrist.

“Yuri? Are you okay?” Yuuri asked, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

_Fuck. Of course, I ran into Katsudon._

Yuri opened his mouth to shout a colorful string of expletives but instead all that came out was a short choking sound.

“Yuri? What’s wrong?”

Yuri had not intentions of speaking.

“Come on,” Yuuri said gently tugging on his wrist. “I know somewhere we can go.”

Yuuri led him to what was essentially a glorified broom closet and sat him down.

_Is this where Katsudon comes to cry?_

“So tell me, what’s going on? What’s got you running out here like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Yuri hung his head.

 “Is this about Otabek?”

Yuri’s head shot up.

“How?” was all Yuri could manage in his state of surprise.

“I noticed you weren’t texting like you used to. And you’ve seemed miserable since he visited you a couple of months ago.”

“You could just tell him.”

Yuri groaned. “Tell him what? That I have a big fucking crush on him? That when I realized I _love_ him when he visited me out of the fucking blue, I decided the best course of action was to ignore his every text message, phone call, and skype request?

_Did I just admit a love him? What the fuck?_

He continued, “I’ve been selfish enough. Even if he did like me back, he shouldn’t be with an asshole like me.”

Yuuri grimaced. “Just think about it.”

Yuri wasn’t going to think about it.

* * *

 

Yuri took time away from practice to watch Four Continents. Not for Otabek. Definitely not, he was watching for Katsudon only. Otabek skated right before Yuuri. Yuri tried to keep his face even as he and Mila watched Otabek skate to the middle but he had a feeling his wasn’t fooling anybody. Yuri had seen Otabek’s short program before but this, this was something different. His mannerisms and facial expressions were completely different, he might as well have been skating a whole new program. Yuri wanted so badly to be over Otabek. He wanted this stupid puppy crush to evaporate. For a while there, he had thought he’d been successful in shoving every feeling and emotion he’d ever had but watching Otabek skate now showed him once and for all that he was anything but over Otabek.

_Fuck him._

It was proven even more so when his phone went off the next day announcing he’d received a text message from Otabek.

**The music for your free skate this season is fitting.**

_What the fuck was that supposed to mean?_

Yuri didn’t reply, instead, he kicked the bench he’d been sitting on in the locker room.

The text messages continued. One a day all the way up until World’s. Every time his phone went off Yuri wanted to throw it against the nearest wall or Victor’s face every time he gave Yuri that signature I-know-something-you-don’t smirk.

Yuri deleted each text.

* * *

 

Yuri knew it would be nearly impossible to avoid Otabek at World’s. He hadn’t managed it last year and he had no delusions that it would magically work this time around. In the arena, he always had his guard up, outside though, he wasn’t as careful. It was a big city. As long as Yuri chose a restaurant far enough from the hotel most of the skaters were staying at, he had nothing to fear. Otabek was a creature of habit, he would find the deli closest to his hotel, get a sandwich that fit perfectly into his macros, and then he’d spend the rest of the night in his hotel room.

So when he snuck back into the hotel way later than Victor and Yuuri would ever approve of, the last thing he expected was to find Otabek loitering outside his hotel room.

_How long has he been there? Is he waiting for me?_

Otabek’s head snapped to the side when he heard Yuri approaching. Yuri pulled his key card out from his pants pocket fully intending to unlock the door and slip inside without uttering a word. Yuri knew it was selfish but when had he ever said he wasn’t selfish?

“Yuri,” Otabek breathed as he got closer. The familiar tightness in his chest returned upon hearing Otabek say his name for this first time in nearly a year. Yuri kept his eyes fixed on the floor. Yuri lifted his arm to unlock the door. “Yura, please,” Otabek said grabbing Yuri’s wrist before he could slide his card through the lock. And there was the electricity in his stomach making him feel like he was on the roller-coaster all over again.

“Otabek, I…” he didn’t know how to continue.

_What can I even say?_

“Yuri, can I come in? There’s…” Otabek’s voice trailed off as Yuri finally looked up at him. “There’s something I need to talk to you about,” he finished resolutely.

Yuri found himself saying yes before he’d even realized he’d spoken. He wordlessly unlocked the door and walked inside. He kicked off his shoes and threw his coat on the chair. It took every ounce of strength in his body to turn around to face Otabek. Instead he faced the window. Carefully watching the reflection of Otabek’s legs. Otabek stopped several feet from Yuri. For that, Yuri was grateful.

_Fuck, it shouldn’t be this hard._

“Yuri, was it, was it something I did? What happened?” Otabek sounded _so_ pained.

Yuri scoffed.

_Shit this isn’t fair._

“Yuri please,”

“Why do you keep texting me?”

_Shit that’s not what I wanted to say._

“That’s what friends do.”

“Are we friends?” Yuri asked incredulously turning to face Otabek for the first time since they’d entered the room. He winced as he realized what an asshole he sounded like. Otabek looked wounded, his face pinched tight.

“I like to think so, although I did spend most of the season thinking otherwise.”

“Well then what’s different now? We’re not friends.”

_I hate myself. I actually, completely hate myself._

Otabek inched toward Yuri. All Yuri had to do now was take one big step to close the gap between them, if he really wanted to. All he had to was reach out a hand and he could cup Otabek’s cheek in his hand. He stayed rooted where he was.

“I ran into Yuuri and Victor,” Otabek began. “a few months ago. They uh, told me something interesting.”

“Tch,”

_Fuck fuck fuck_

“Don’t be mad at them. I practically begged.”

Yuri couldn’t help but crack a smile. Otabek begging was never something he imagined the man doing.

“I thought I must have hurt you so badly to deserve this treatment,” Otabek took another step toward him. “But I didn’t, did I?” He said tilting his head to the side.

It wasn’t really a question. Otabek knew the answer. Yuri knew the answer. This was it. It was now or never. He could lie through his teeth. He should lie through his teeth. Yuri had dragged this on for too long. It wasn’t fair.

“Otabek, I’m sorry,” Yuri said hanging his head. “I’m sorry and I like you. A lot.” 

_Well fuck that was one more statement than I planned on._

Yuri didn’t look up until he felt a hand on his chin, pulling his head back up. A tiny gasp escaped his mouth as he felt Otabek’s lips move over his own.

_Oh._

Otabek pulled back far too soon in Yuri’s opinion. Otabek pulled Yuri’s head down to his chest and held him there tightly. Yuri tried to push back but Otabek just held him tighter.

“Otabek,”

“No Yuri it’s my turn to talk,” Otabek said finally freeing Yuri. “I’ve been waiting nearly a year.”

Yuri nodded wordlessly.

“I made a decision, after I talked to Yuuri and Victor,” he began “I decided, there was no way in hell I was going to let you just waltz out of my life without a fight.”

Yuri gaped. _I probably look like an idiot right now._

“I’ve been so cruel Otabek. How can you just pretend that didn’t happen?”

_Otabek is smiling. Actually smiling. What the fuck?_

“I know it was awful, Yuri. To spend all that time dealing with unrequited feelings.”

Yuri opened his mouth to interrupt but was stopped before he could say anything.

“I know that because I think I’ve felt the same the past few months.” Otabek wrapped his arms around Yuri again, pulling him close. “Yura, I like you too.” He paused, “So, are we talking again or not?”


	2. Otabek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, Yuri can’t talk to me anymore because he’s in love? Sounds like they’re a prick,” Otabek said before thinking.
> 
> Yuuri faced palmed again. “Oh my god, you’re both idiots.” 
> 
> Victor looked from Otabek to Yuuri and back again. Yuuri stared at Otabek with an oddly fond but equally exasperated expression. 
> 
> “Oh,” Victor began. “I think you’re going to figure that part out for yourself.”

Otabek knew something was up. Yuri had been acting odd for practically weeks. His first clue had been when Yuri texted him to let him know he was sick. Yuri doesn’t send just one text when he’s truly sick. He bitches and moans all day long until Otabek or some other poor soul finally convince him to go to sleep. Yes, something was definitely wrong and it unsettled Otabek to think that Yuri had a reason not to share it with him. Over the past nearly four years Yuri and Otabek had become as close as friends can be. Otabek didn’t talk much but when he did, he told Yuri everything. He tried not to let it bother him. Yuri was entitled to secrets. Just because Otabek chose not to hide anything from his best friend didn’t mean that Yuri had to choose the same.

* * *

 

Otabek wasn’t sure if impulsively booking a flight to St. Petersburg was the work of a genius or a fool. He justified the rash decision by telling himself his skating was suffering because of Yuri’s strange behavior. That wasn’t exactly true. Otabek was very good at blocking out the rest of the world when practicing. But it was keeping him up at night, wondering why Yuri had been acting so strangely for weeks now. Their skype calls were rushed and short. Yuri neglected to talk about anything but the weather or skating. As much as they both loved their choice of career, there was more to live and to talk about than skating. On top of that, Yuri was uncharacteristically jumpy. At first, he’d thought Yuri was just having a weird week or something but when it continued, it actually started to freak Otabek out a little bit. A part of him worried something really bad had happened. Maybe he’d gotten hurt during practice. But then why wouldn’t he tell Otabek?

_Maybe I’m reading too much into this._

Yuri’s utter shock when he’d opened the door to find Otabek standing there had been worth the ridiculous cost of a last minute international plane ticket. Otabek just smirked as Yuri stood in the doorway trying to process what was going on.

“O.. Otabek. What.. what are you doing here?” Otabek smirked. Yep, definitely worth it.

“Are you going to let me in?”

Yuri relaxed his hold on the doorway and led Otabek through his apartment and to the kitchen. They sat around Yuri’s tiny kitchen table sipping tea. This was the first time Otabek had been to Yuri’s apartment. The first two years he’d known him, Yuri had lived with Lila and Yakov. After that he’d moved in with Victor and Yuuri for about a year while he worked on finding a place of his own.

Otabek had 2 days with Yuri in St. Petersburg. He’d expected his time to go painfully quickly. He was surprised to find the hours ticking by frustratingly slowly. Yuri jumped at everything. If Otabek looked at him for longer than three seconds, he jumped. If Otabek so much as brushed up against while walking out the door, he jumped. When they watched movies the first night of Otabek’s stay, Yuri had pulled away like Otabek’s touch had seared him when they accidentally bumped shoulders. When Otabek left for the airport a mere forty-eight hours after he’d first arrived, Yuri didn’t even hug him. As his plane taxied onto the runway, he had a feeling he wasn’t welcome in St. Petersburg anymore.

_Maybe I am a fool._

* * *

 

Otabek messaged Yuri when his plane had landed and again when he had arrived back at his apartment in the city. He didn’t expect a reply right away, it was well into the night back in St. Petersburg. When he woke the next morning, he was surprised to see he still hadn’t gotten a reply. Otabek knew something was up with Yuri but they were still friends right? Before, Yuri had always demanded to know the moment the plane had touched down. Otabek sent off his typical good morning text and continued to get ready for a grueling day of practice. There was no doubt his coach was going to make him pay for the missed days of practice.

Yuri didn’t reply to that text message or any other that Otabek sent over the next few days. Otabek even sent a few snapchats. He wasn’t very partial to the app but he knew Yuri liked it. Still nothing. At first, Yuri’s out of character silence only confused Otabek. He had known by now that something was definitely wrong with Yuri. Yuri probably just needed space. Otabek limited himself to sending one text every other day or so. He didn’t want to overwhelm Yuri while he worked through whatever was bothering him but he also didn’t want Yuri to think he’d given up on him.

After two weeks with no replies, Otabek was a little annoyed. He and Yuri were best friends and he couldn’t spare ten seconds to at least let Otabek know if he was okay? Yuri had to know he was worried about him. Hell, he’d flown all the way to St. Petersburg on a whim because he was worried about his best friend.

As that week faded into another, he grew angry.

_I deserve better than this._

Otabek deserved better than to be shut out like and he knew Yuri knew the same. Whatever was going on, it was utter and complete bullshit. Yuri had been opening every snapchat Otabek sent but hadn’t replied to a single snap. And he knew he was reading every message and choosing not to reply even as his texts became increasingly worried. As he walked to the rink one morning several weeks after he’d left Yuri behind in St. Petersburg, he spied a tiny black kitten and immediately thought of his best friend. He reached for his phone to take a snapchat only to find Yuri’s username not listed. It wasn’t like Yuri’s username could get lost among all his contacts on snapchat, Otabek didn’t even have to scroll to see all eight people he was friends with on the app.

_Yuri.. blocked me?_

Deep in his chest, something shattered. Did Yuri not want to be friends with him any longer? Fear seeped into his gut leaving him feeling far colder than the weather called for. Did he hurt Yuri somehow? He hadn’t done anything different lately. Before Yuri had started acting strangely they had texted every day and skyped a few times a week just like they had for the previous four years. The thought of hurting Yuri this badly made him want to run to closest toilet and vomit the protein shake he’d had for breakfast.

At practice, Otabek flubbed all his jumps.

* * *

 

The following week, Otabek sent Yuri one final message.

**I’m here if you need me.**

Part of him wanted to delete Yuri’s number. Seeing his name in his phone made him angry and sad and confused all at the same time. He thought it might bring him some sort of closure to the situation.

 _That’s what people do when they break up. Yuri and I did not break up. Don’t be ridiculous_.

Instead, he deleted his snapchat account. He didn’t need it anymore without Yuri.

At night he often found himself lying awake going through every interaction he’d had with Yuri before everything changed. Otabek attempted to pick apart every interaction he could recall, trying to unravel the mystery Yuri had put before him. He never got anywhere.

* * *

 

Otabek saw Yuri for the first time since his ill-fated trip to St. Petersburg at the Grand Prix Final of that year. It felt wrong to not shout “davai” as Yuri skated to the center of the ice for his short program. As the first day of competition came to a close, all Otabek really wanted to do was order room service and hideaway in the safety of his hotel room. He’d managed to go the entire day without coming into direct contact with Yuri.

As he made his way through the crowds dispersing out of the arena, he saw Yuri walking in his direction. For a split second, he thought that Yuri might be coming to talk to him but then he saw the hardened expression resting across his face and he knew he wouldn’t be so lucky. Each footstep brought him closer to Yuri but he’d never felt further away from his former best friend. His heart pounded and it took every ounce of willpower not to look over at Yuri. Despite the erratic heartbeat within his chest, Otabek somehow managed to stare straight ahead with his trademark stoicism as he and Yuri met in the middle. For a single second, they occupied the same space before they passed each other going their separate ways.

* * *

 

As four continents grew closer, Otabek tried to put Yuri further and further from his mind. He couldn’t afford any distractions.  All that went out the window when he left the hotel for dinner and found himself flanked by Victor and Yuuri

“Otabek!” Victor shouted. “It’s been a long time! Come on, join me and my Yuuri for dinner.”

Otabek opened his mouth to decline but Victor wouldn’t have it. And so Otabek found himself reluctantly sitting across from the most cheerful man in the universe and Yuuri Katsuki. He would be lying to himself if he thought it didn’t hurt a little bit to be with them sans Yuri. Victor liked to joke that Yuri was their son and, as much as Yuri hated it, it wasn’t really that far from the truth.

“Otabek, why so glum?” Victor asked after the waitress had taken their order.

“Victor.” Yuuri said his name like a warning.

“You’ve got the same expression Yurio has every day at practice, pinched tight and miserable. Did something happen?”

“Victor,” Yuuri said even sharper this time. Otabak had a feeling Victor had also received a sharp kick to the shin if his grimace was anything to go by.

Otabek opened his mouth to speak but closed it again quickly. Was it okay to talk to Yuuri and Victor like this? It didn’t feel entirely right to talk to them about what was going on. Like he was tattling on Yuri or something.

“Yuri hasn’t spoken to me in months. I… I don’t know what I did but I think I must have hurt him badly to be shut out this way,” he hesitated for a moment. “I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sure why he was apologizing. It felt important though. He was sorry and he wanted Yuri to know it.

Victor gaped. Yuuri face palmed.

“Otabek. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you and Yurio weren’t speaking,” Victor said.

Yuuri sighed. “I guess he never did talk to you then.”

“What?” Victor and Otabek said at the same time.

“It’s not really my place to say.”

Victor smirked.

“Ah, I see,” Victor paused pressing one finger to his lips. “Our little Yurio has his first crush.”

_Crush? Yuri’s been avoiding me because he’s got a crush on somebody?_

“It’s a little more complicated than that.”

Victor gasped. “Yuuri are you meaning to tell me that our son is in love!? How could you not tell me?”

“So, Yuri can’t talk to me anymore because he’s in love? Sounds like they’re a prick,” Otabek said before thinking.

Yuuri faced palmed again. “Oh my god, you’re both idiots.”

Victor looked from Otabek to Yuuri and back again. Yuuri stared at Otabek with an oddly fond but equally exasperated expression.

“Oh,” Victor began. “I think you’re going to figure that part out for yourself.”

* * *

 

In the safety of his hotel room that evening, Otabek reviewed the conversation he’d had with Victor and Yuuri at dinner. His stomach felt like lead every time he thought of Victor saying Yuri was in love. It hurt.

_Yuri being in love with someone shouldn’t bother me. I should be happy for him._

When he finally fell asleep he actually dreamt. Normally he was way too tired to do any dreaming. At 3:38 in the morning Otabek woke gasping from a dream of Yuri kissing a faceless man.

Oh. _Oh._

* * *

 

Otabek couldn’t fathom why Yuri hadn’t just told him. But then again it wasn’t like Otabek was calling up  Yuri to spill his guts either. But, there was no way in hell Otabek was going to give up Yuri without a fight. Yuri was loud and brash, crass and crude. Otabek was everything Yuri was not: stoic and thoughtful, quiet and subdued. Otabek wracked his brain trying to decide how to show Yuri how he felt. He wanted to meet in the middle but how do you combine a tornado and a placid sea? In the end, he started where the entire mixed up situation, with a text message.

Deciding what to text Yuri about after months without talking was easy.

**The music for your free skate this season is fitting.**

Of course, he got no response. He hadn’t expected any. But, still, he persevered sending Yuri a new message every day.

**The cat living next to my apartment had kittens.**

And,

**I finally tried that tea you recommended last year. 10/10.**

And,

**Almaty was unsarcastically warm today for this time of year.**

And the last sent just before boarding the plane for world’s a mere two weeks after his fortunate run in with Victor and Yuuri,

**Looking forward to see your free skate in person again.**

* * *

 

He’d known from the beginning that Yuri was never going to answer any of Otabek’s text messages. If Yuri was anything he was stubborn. He had hoped that the constant stream of text messages would help easy any shock from seeing Otabek show up unannounced to Yuri’s hotel room. As Otabek walked from his own room a floor below (Victor had been gracious enough to let it slip what room Yuri was staying in), his heart beat grew more frantic seemingly with each step he took. His mind warred between thoughts of self-doubt and hopes of what could be.

_What if I’m wrong.  Or if there is someone else now?_

He did his best to brush all the negative thoughts from his mind. It didn’t matter what happened after he’d knocked on Yuri’s door. All that mattered was doing everything he could to get Yuri back, as a friend, as more, or whatever. Yuri wasn’t going to walk out of his life forever without a fight. He had a decent idea of what he wanted to say when Yuri opened the door, if Yuri opened up the door. He’d practiced the conversation in his head dozens of times on the plane ride. But when he turned to see Yuri walking up to him in the hotel hall just as he’d been about to knock, everything he practiced all but disappeared on him.

“Yuri,” Otabek breathed when Yuri was only a few feet away. Yuri turned his attention to the door and the keycard in his hand.  “Yura, please,” Otabek said grabbing Yuri’s wrist before he could slide his card through the lock.

_Please let me in._

“Otabek, I…” Yuri began.

 “Yuri, can I come in? There’s…” Otabek’s voice trailed off as Yuri finally looked up at him. “There’s something I need to talk to you about,” he finished resolutely.

“Y..yes.”

_Thank god._

Yuri wordlessly unlocked the door and walked inside. Otabek watched as Yuri nervously toed off his shoes and tossed his athletic jacket onto the chair. Otabek waited for Yuri to turn back around but Yuri kept his eyes fixed n the window. Otabek walked into the room stopping several feet away from Yuir.

 “Yuri, was it, was it something I did? What happened?” Otabek said.

Yuri scoffed.

 “Yuri please,”

“Why do you keep texting me?”

Otabek took a moment to respond. “That’s what friends do.”

“Are we friends?” Yuri asked incredulously turning to face Otabek for the first time since they’d entered the room.

“I like to think so, although I did spend most the past six months thinking otherwise.”

“Well then what’s different now? We’re not friends,” Yuri said, hands on his hips.

Otabek inched closer to Yuri. What he really wanted to do was close the distance between them in one giant step and wrap Yuri up in a hug. The full impact of just how much he had missed Yuri hitting him as their words hung between them.

“I ran into Yuuri and Victor,” Otabek began. “a few months ago. They uh, told me something interesting.”

“Tch,”

 “Don’t be mad at them. I practically begged.” Otabek paused. “I thought I must have hurt you so badly to deserve this treatment,” Otabek took another step toward him. “But I didn’t, did I?” He said tilting his head to the side. Otabek thought he already knew the answer but part of him wouldn’t be sure until he heard Yuri say it himself.

“Otabek, I’m sorry,” Yuri said hanging his head. “I’m sorry and I like you.  A lot” 

Otabek closed the distance between them and lifted a hand to Yuri’s chin, gently pulling his face back up. Carefully, Otabek leaned down and pressed his mouth to Yuri’s, just for a moment. After he held Yuri’s head to chest, holding him tightly.

 “Otabek,”

“No Yuri it’s my turn to talk,” Otabek said freeing Yuri. “I’ve been waiting a long time.”

Yuri nodded.

“I made a decision, after I talked to Yuuri and Victor,” he began “I decided, there was no way in hell I was going to let you just waltz out of my life without putting up a fight.”

Yuri gaped.

“I’ve been so cruel Otabek. How can you just pretend that didn’t happen?”

Otabek just smiled.

“I know it was awful, Yuri. To spend all that time dealing with unrequited feelings,” Otabek said. “I know that because I think I’ve felt the same the past few months.” Otabek wrapped his arms around Yuri again, pulling him close. “Yura, I like you too.” He paused, “So, are we talking again or not?”


End file.
